Abstract:

The main focus of this dissertation is the preservation activities of McMenamins, a chain of restaurants, pubs, and hotels in western Oregon and Washington. Over the last twenty years, McMenamins has been involved in a series of adaptive reuse projects that have involved community partnerships to save unusual buildings or sites, including multi-building properties that were challenging to preserve because they do not fit the typical functions of an adaptive reuse project. A vital element of the renovation strategy used by McMenamins includes creating interpretive murals and printed materials that connect visitors to the history of the site and increase engagement between the community and the built environment. The method of historic preservation that McMenamins has developed requires investment not just in the renovation and interpretation of the structures that it purchases, but also an investment of time and resources in building connections with community groups that are involved in the various projects. The dissertation is a larger case study of McMenamins as a company built from more focused cases studies of individual sites that have been adapted as hotels and pubs by the company. Interviews with McMenamins staff and other participants in the process, government records, and newspaper articles provide the background for each study. In addition to functioning as a successful business and employer, McMenamins has enriched the region by saving and interpreting a number of historic structures that range from unexceptional commercial storefronts to unique buildings of historic and architectural significance. The company provides an example of a successful strategy that not only saves historic buildings, but also integrates the history of the community with its patrons. The most important part of restoration, according to McMenamins, is preserving communities. Preserving and interpreting buildings is a way to accomplish that goal, and has helped the company to grow at the same time.